Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Consulate General of India on Saturday honored seven members of the Coordination Committee of Welfare Organizations (CCWA) for their dedicated volunteer services in the southern Jazan and Najran provinces during the recent Houthi attacks from across the Yemeni border. Consul General B.S. Mubarak distributed certificates of appreciation to them as well as to five staff members of the consulate who joined the CCWA in rendering services to the Indian community in these southern provinces. The honoring ceremony was held on the sidelines of a workshop for CCWA members at the consulate's conference hall here. A total of 22 community volunteers representing the governorates of Jazan, Najran, Taif, Qunfudah, Makkah, Madinah and Baha attended the one-day workshop. Anand Kumar, consul consular services), and S.R.H. Fahmi, consul (community welfare), also addressed the workshop. Some 1 million Indian nationals live in these Saudi provinces under the jurisdiction of the consulate in Jeddah. Speaking to reporters at the function, Mubarak commended the selfless services being rendered by the community volunteers in these regions, especially in Jazan and Najran following the recent Houthi attacks. These volunteers were extremely helpful in assisting the affected members of the Indian community, especially in evacuating people from Samtah. They also take initiatives to help the injured and complete repatriation procedures for the dead. "Consul Anand Kumar arrived in Samtah to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and camped there. He met with Minister of Health Khaled Al-Falih who assured all help to the nurses and staff of the Samtah Hospital, which was affected by the attacks. Eighty-six nurses in the hospital were evacuated following the attack." Mubarak said almost all Indian nationals injured in the Samta attack have been discharged from hospital and the body of Vishnu, one of the two Indians killed in the attack, will be repatriated within the coming few days. He also briefed the volunteers about the initiatives taken by the consulate and the government of India to address the issues of blue-collar workers, especially MADAD and E-migrate initiatives. "The E-migrate system has revolutionized the recruitment process. The system ensures workers to get their wages and allowances in accordance with the labor contracts," he said, adding that under the system, no employer can violate their contractual obligations. The volunteers honored at the function included Chandrasekhar from Samtah; Haris Kallai, Shamsudheen Vattoli and Muhammad Taha from Jazan; and Abdul Lateef Rasool, Abdul Rahman Mangalpady and C. Rajendran from Najran. The honored consulate employees are Dr. Zafar Alam, Najmuddin Puliyamparab, Riyas Jeelani, Faisal and Jawed Alam.
